POOR EXECUTION AND BAD CALLS HAND THE EAGLES A 20-17 WIN

Not long ago, Jerry Jones countered football's conventional wisdom when he claimed that offense now wins championships in the NFL. Jones was in a good position to make such a claim. His offense sported nine starters who had made the Pro Bowl at one time or another. In second year guard Larry Allen, Dallas has a probable tenth Pro Bowl nominee. This squad had set the tone for Dallas' title runs in '92 and '93, running a time consuming ball control attack that demoralized opponents and kept Dallas' defense fresh.

The offense was so formidable that Jones maintained this past week that there were still no excuses for not making the Super Bowl. He made this claim in spite of the fact that star rusher Charles Haley is probably lost for the year after back surgery. He made this claim in spite of the fact that the offense was as responsible, if not more responsible for the surprising 24-17 loss to Washington last week. The consensus in Dallas this past week was that the Redskin sweep was a fluke, albeit an embarrassing one. The players were flat after Thanksgiving. Things would change in Philadelphia. The practices had been good. The players knew it was time to get serious.

Little did Jerry know how accurate -- and how painful -- his statement would prove to be.

For the second consecutive week, the offense wore the goat horns. It wasted an inspired effort by a defensive unit playing its first game without Haley. It wasted the best Cowboy pass rush in the second half of the season. The offense that had started to point fingers at the defense got a touchdown from that unit, yet failed to put the Eagles away when it had the chance.

More disturbing to the Cowboy Faithful is that the leaders of the offense, the "triplets" headed the list of offenders. Consider:

-- Troy Aikman failed to throw for 100 yards, and had an even more dismal performance than he did last week. Aikman missed open receivers and was hurt by drops in key situations.

-- For the second consecutive week, Emmitt Smith fumbled the ball at the goal line. The turnover was crushing; it came midway through the 4th quarter with Dallas clinging to a 17-14 lead. A score would probably have put the game away.

--Michael Irvin caught only one pass after the first quarter.

In addition, Jay Novacek and Daryl Johnston had poor games. Novacek bobbled a couple of easy catches. Johnston started strong but failed with two blocks on key 4th and one plays late in the game.

Oh, yes, the call. It may seem like piling on, coming so late after the fact, but the call cannot be ignored. It has not been my tendency to beat up on Switzer, but this situation is irresistable. The coach looked like a cosmonaut on the sideline, bundled in his parka and cap. And when the time came for his one important decision, it looked as if it had been sent from outer space. By going for a first down from his own 29 not once, but twice, Switzer showed no confidence in a defense that played with pain and guts for four quarters. This is the kind of decision that can divide a team. Time will tell.

The logic of the call is still unclear. Barry Switzer claimed after the game that the Eagles were certain to score if the Cowboys punted, but that is hogwash. This shows no faith in a defense that played well all day. The defense spent a lot of time on the field in the second half, but it only allowed one touchdown during the game. That came when the field was shortened by a special teams penalty. The defense fought bad field position all day, and held it's own. It played best when the Eagles were forced to throw the ball. With less than two minutes left, Philadelphia could not have ridden Watters' legs into field goal position.

FAST START, SLOW FINISH

The game began in dubious fashion for the Dallas offense. On the first play from scrimmage after the opening kickoff, Derek Kennard lost his block on Rhett Hall and the DT stopped Emmitt Smith for no gain. On second down, Nate Newton lost Hall on a stunt with end Daniel Stubbs, and Hall sacked Troy Aikman for a nine yard loss. Smith caught a short toss from Aikman on third down and was dropped far short of the first down. John Jett appeared to be punting a rock, as his kick into the chilly Philadelphia air carried just over 30 yards, to the Eagle 45. Rob Carpenter returned the ball to the Dallas 47.

The Eagles spent little time in testing the left side of the Dallas line. On first down, they pulled McIntyre and sent Watters at Russell Maryland. Watters gained five. On second down, the Eagles went three wide, and pulled McIntyre left. Watters followed him and came up inches short of the first down. Watters was stopped at the line on third down, but managed to lead forwards for the first down.

Rodney Peete went to the air on first down, and hit Calvin Williams for six yards in front of Larry Brown. The Eagles went back to their trap right on second down, and Watters followed a vicious McIntryre block for another first down. Darrin Smith stuffed a Watters dive on first down after two yards. A procedure penalty moved the Eagles back five. Peete tried to force a seam pattern to Calvin Williams. Godfrey Myles got a great drop and almost intercepted the pass. Peete dumped off the ball on third, and the Eagles settled for a Gary Anderson field goal attempt. His 42 yard kick was true and Philadelphia had an early 3-0 lead.

Anderson's kickoff was short, but Kevin Williams could only return the ball to the 28, where he was leveled by James Willis. From here, the Cowboys put their ground game into gear. Smith went behind Larry Allen for three yards. On second down, Smith ran behind a Johnston trap block for three more. The Cowboys showed a three receiver set on third, and Aikman scrambled away from Daniel Stubbs for four yards and a first down. Aikman took to the air on first down, and hit Irvin on a skinny post to the Eagle 40. Aikman's pass died as it flew into the wind, but Irvin was able to reach low and make the grab.

Dallas tried running a trap to Smith on first down, but tripped and fell for a five yard loss. Aikman found Irvin on a short crossing route for six yards. On third and nine, Aikman threw to Cory Fleming who was running an in route at the yard marker. Fleming was hit by Mark McMillian before the ball arrived, giving Dallas a first down at the Eagle 31. Smith slashed behind Newton and Tuinei on first down, and gained eight yards. The Cowboys ran the lead draw right, and Smith ripped into the secondary to the Eagle ten. On first and goal, Dallas ran power left. Smith followed solid seal blocks by Allen and Johnston, avoided tripping over Johnston at the line of scrimmage, and turned the corner. Smith was met by Bobby Taylor at the four, but Smith bulled the Eagle defender into the end zone. Chris Boniol hit the PAT, and Dallas had a 7-3 lead.

Boniol's kickoff got caught up in the wind and was returned to the Eagle 42. For the second time, the Philly offense would be starting on a short field. The Eagles opened with a trap left, and Watters broke it outside. Deion Sanders made a good supporting tackle, holding the run to three yards. On second down, Peete was flushed out of the pocket by Leon Lett and ran for a first down. The Eagles ran a delayed draw to Watters, who gained six. The Eagles returned to their trap right, but Darrin Smith slid behind the pulling McIntyre and stopped the play short of the first down. The Eagles tried crossing up Dallas with a bootleg, but the play was diagnosed by Tony Tolbert, who chased Peete to the sideline and forced an incompletion.

Facing 4th and 2 from the Dallas 45, the Eagles called Watters' number again. Watters followed the pulling McIntyre right, but the Eagle guard was beaten to the hole by a slanting Darrin Smith. Smith's penetration pushed Watters back, and allowed Brock Marion to come up with an ankle tackle at the line of scrimmage.

The Cowboys started with an Allen trap, and Smith blew behind it for nine yards. A face mask penalty moved the ball to the Dallas 49 as the first quarter ended. The Cowboys opened with the wind at their backs, but stayed on the ground. Smith cut back behind Allen, and gained eight. The Cowboys put the ball in Smith's hands again, and Emmitt cut up the middle to the Eagle 35. Smith got another call, but was dropped by Rhett Hall after just three yards. Aikman dropped to pass on second down, found no one open, and took a sack. On third and eleven, Dallas went three wide. Aikman pumped right, stood in the face of Eagle pressure, and threw left to Jay Novacek, who made a shoesting grab at the 22.

Dallas had been running Smith between the tackles. On first down, the went against tendency by running a toss right to Smith. Emmitt found a huge hole off right tackle, and went untouched to the Eagle eight. Smith ran a lead draw on first and goal, and was stacked up at the five. Ray Rhodes had seen his smallish front seven get pushed around, and countered with a three linebacker blitz to slow the play. Dallas went to a two tight end set, and sent Smith behind Newton on a lead draw to the two. The Cowboys ran Smith to the left once more, but he was tripped up by Ronnie Dixon. Dallas settled for Boniol's short field goal, which extended the lead to 10-3.

Boniol's short kick was fielded at the Eagle ten and returned to the Philadelphia 37. A fifteen yard face mask penalty moved the ball to the Dallas 48, again giving the Eagles a short field. Peete opened the Eagle drive by dumping a pass incomplete into the right flat. Ricky Watters was in the vicinity, but Peete was trying to avoid a sack by the hardrushing Leon Lett. Lett put good pressure on Peete again, but Peete hit Calvin Williams on a short crossing route in front of Godfrey Myles. Williams pulled away from Myles, and was pushed out of bounds at the Dallas 32.

The Eagles returned to their early pattern of running Watters inside, but Chad Hennings dropped him for a two yard gain. The Cowboys brought Darren Woodson on a safety blitz at Peete, and he batted Peete's ball incomplete. The Cowboys ran a stunt with Lett and Hennings on third down. Hennings slipped past Eagle LT Barrett Brooks and bullied past Watters to drop Peete, forcing the Eagles to punt. The ball was downed at the sixteen, and Dallas' offense took the field for its fourth possession.

Ray Rhodes had seen enough of Emmitt Smith, so he changed his defensive scheme. He walked SS Mike Zordich to the line, giving the Eagles a 4-4 front. He also started blitzing his linebackers, in hopes of taking away Smith's cut-back lanes. The gamble worked on first down, as Smith was dropped for a two yard loss. Dallas immediately inserted Deion Sanders into the game, and threw him the ball. Aikman hit Sanders on a comeback route near the right sideline. Sanders turned away from CB Mark McMillian and ran to the 34, where he was dropped by Andy Harmon.

The Eagles resumed their linebacker blitzes, and Bill Romanowski tackled Smith for a one yard loss. An offsides penalty put the Cowboys in second and short. The Eagles blitzed again and held a Smith lead draw to only two yards. On third and four, Aikman threw to Kevin Williams over the middle. Williams was wide open at the Eagle 45, but Aikman's pass bounced off his shoulder pads. John Jett's knuckler got a good bounce, and was downed by Charlie Williams at the Eagle nine.

The Eagles inserted Charlie Garner into the game and handed him the ball on a blast right. Russell Maryland beat his block and stopped Garner after one yard. Leon Lett blasted past Barrett Brooks on second down and hit Peete just as he was releasing the ball. The impact forced Peete's throw into the back of Eagle lineman Harry Boatswain, drawing a penalty and loss of down. But on third and nine, Peete floated a pass to Rob Carpenter, who got a step on Alundis Brice out of the slot. Carpenter brought down Peete's throw at the 30, and the Eagles had a first down at the two minute warning.

On the next play, Peete threw to Carpenter again. Carpenter ran a crossing route in front of Godfrey Myles, and the completion put the Eagles at their 42. Two plays later, on third and eight, Philadelphia got a break when Tony Tolbert was flagged for roughing the passer. Tolbert had leapt up to bat down the throw, causing Peete's throw to wobble to the turf. The penalty put the Eagles at the Dallas 40.

The Eagles ran a screen for Watters on first down, but Bill Bates made a good read and spilled Watters after a two yard gain. On second down, Dave Campo sent Darren Woodson on a second safety blitz at Peete. Woodson leapt high and tipped Peete's throw, which was intercepted in the right flat by Larry Brown and returned 63 yards for a score. Boniol's PAT gave Dallas a 17-3 lead with 58 seconds left in the half.

Dallas appeared to have the game firmly in hand at this point, although the Eagles were showing the first signs of their comeback. Dallas must bear some culpability, as they inserted many reserves for the last minute. The most important were Hurvin McCormack and Shante Carver for Leon Lett and Tony Tolbert. The starting ends had provided a steady rush throughout the first half, but Carver and McCormack failed to provide much push.

At first it did not seem to matter. On first down, Peete dumped the ball off to Watters, who was stopped by Woodson after a short gain. The play bled the clock to 38 seconds. Offsetting penalties on second down took the clock down to 31 seconds. Peete found Carpenter in the middle of the Dallas zone at the Eagle 45, and Philly had a new set of downs. Peete hit Chris T. Jones on a slant in front of Larry Brown, and the Eagles were on the Dallas 45 with :18 seconds left. The Eagles were heading into a stiff wind, and still needed to get close to the end zone for a first down.

The Cowboys reinserted Lett and Tolbert, and Lett put pressure on Peete. The QB stood his ground and fired a strike over the middle to Calvin Williams at the Dallas 30. The Cowboys went to a three man rush, and Peete found Fred Barnett on the sideline. Barnett got behind Brown and caught Peete's pass before the late arriving Scott Case could break up the play. The pass put the Eagles on the Dallas 10 and let Anderson punch in a short kick just befre the halftime gun.

THE OFFENSE GOES INTO THE DEEP FREEZE

Dallas had to kick off to start the second half, but it had the wind at its back. The advantage was negated when Dallas permitted the Eagles another good return, this time to the 37. The Eagles ran a sweep to Watters, who was run out of bounds for a short loss by Deion Sanders. Tony Tolbert put on a strong rush and was held by RT Antone Davis on second down. The Cowboys put on another strong rush on second down. Hennings and Lett ran another stunt and Hennings just missed a second sack. Peete found TE Reggie Johnson for five yards. A screen to Watters gained 12 yards, but it left the Eagles five yards short of a first down. Philadelphia's punt was downed on the Dallas 31, giving the Cowboys good field position to start the half.

The Eagles returned to their eight man front, and resumed their slants and stunts which worked so well at the end of the half. Smith was stopped for one yard on first down. Aikman threw a wobbler for Novacek in the right flat which fell a yard short of the mark. Aikman threw to Cory Fleming who was running an in route on the right side. Fleming extended for the ball, but dropped it. Dallas punted and Philadelphia regained possession on its 25.

The Cowboys sent Darrin Smith on a blitz and he shut down a Watters blast for two. Leon Lett batted down Peete's second down toss, leaving the Eagles in third and long. The Eagles converted when Art Monk caught a crossing route in front of Larry Brown.

The Eagles tried another draw, and Hurvin McCormack stopped it for no gain. Ricky Watters ran a swing pattern in front of Darrin Smith and moved the ball to the Dallas 45. A Watters sweep gained five. The Eagles tested Deion Sanders with a stop pattern on second down, and he broke up the pass. The Cowboys ran twists with their linemen on third down, and Chad Hennings recorded his second sack of the day.

The defense was keeping the Eagles at bay, but the offense would not cooperate. Starting at its nineteen, Dallas gained nothing. A toss right to Smith was stopped for no gain by William Fuller. Dallas got a break when Mark McMillian was flagged for interference on Michael Irvin. Dallas took to the air on first down, and received another break when Greg Jackson dropped Aikman's deep throw. Aikman was trying to hit Deion Sanders, who was running a post, but Sanders was double covered well on the play. Dallas tried a power left but Andy Harmon beat Derek Kennard and stuffed the plan. Aikman threw again to Cory Fleming on third down. Fleming was bumped off his route by McMillian, who hit him before the pass arrived. McMillian was not flagged, however, and Dallas had to punt a second time. John Jett's punt was well covered, as Rob Carpenter was dropped at the Eagles 39. But the Dallas special teams again hurt the Cowboys. Billy Davis was flagged for a late hit, moving the ball to the Dallas 46.

The Eagles had enjoyed good field position all day, and this time they took advantage. A Watters toss right and a trap left moved the Eagles to the Dallas 33. Watters made an amazing run on first down, as he took a toss left and reversed his field right for a five yard gain. The play was flagged for tripping on Philadelphia, moving the Eagles back ten yards. More importantly for Dallas, Russell Maryland sprained his foot on the play and had to leave the game. This forced Dallas to make a critical change on its defensive line. Leon Lett moved inside to tackle and Shante Carver replaced Lett at end. This took Dallas' best rusher out of his game, as Lett was subject to double teams inside.

The Eagles used the feet of Rodney Peete to finish the drive. Peete scrambled away from a Bill Bates blitz for eight yards on second and 21. On third down, he evaded a Lett rush and found Calvin Williams for six yards. The Eagles kept the offense in on fourth and seven, and Peete bailed his team out of danger. He ducked under a Lett rush and up the middle for nine yards. The Eagles went to two tight ends and sent Watters at the middle of the Dallas line. Three carries moved the ball to the Dallas three. The Eagles went to three tight ends, and Watters' blast moved the ball to the one. On third down, Lett knifed through his gap, but he just missed Watters, who dove over for six.

The score was now 17-12, and the Eagles went for two points. Dallas played a zone, and was burned when Fred Barnett beat Deion Sanders on a crossing route at the goal line.

Gary Anderson's kick was short, and Kevin Williams returned the ball to the Eagle 47. Emmitt Smith got the carry behind Newton and Tuinei and stutter-stepped for four yards. The play brought the third period to an end, and took away the Cowboys' wind advantage. The Cowboys opened the fourth with a two tight end set and tried a trap left. But a blitzing William Thomas beat Allen to the hole and dropped Smith for a loss. Ernie Zampese made a good call on third down, and Aikman made a good throw to Novacek, who had broken past Bill Romanowski down the middle. But Romanowski managed to get a finger on the ball and deflect it away. John Jett made a 23 yard punt into the heavy wind, and the Eagles regained possession at their 21.

Over fourteen minutes remained, so the Eagles centered their attack around Watters. He broke a draw outside and gained four yards. The Eagles cleared the backfield on second down and Peete cocked his arm to fire a slant. As his arm went backwards, Peete lost his grip on the cold ball. Leon Lett recovered the ball on the fifteen, and Dallas was in position to put the game away.

Dallas sent two tight ends on the field, and hammered Emmitt Smith at the middle of the Eagle line. On first down, he gained four to the eleven. On second down, he followed Newton on a lead draw to the eight. Dallas lined Johnston up on a wing, and Aikman hit him on a bootleg option. Johnston dove to the five, giving Dallas a first down by half the length of the ball.

11:38 remained and Dallas had first and goal at the five. Dallas ran Smith on a lead draw left, and he fumbled the ball when Kurt Gouveia put his helmet on the ball. Michael Zordich recovered at the one, and the Eagles were still alive.

The Eagles sent Watters up the middle for a gain of five on first down. Leon Lett stuffed Watters for no gain on second, leaving the Eagles in third and five. Peete's charmed life continued on third down. He avoided Lett in the end zone, and dashed past a diving Shante Carver. Darren Woodson stopped Peete short of a first down, however, and the Eagles were forced to punt. With the Eagles punting with the wind, good field position was not assured. Kevin Williams fielded the ball on the 35, and Dallas again tried to solve the Eagle defense.

The offense could find no clue. A dump off to Smith gained nothing. A screen to Smith was read, and Aikman threw the ball away. Aikman made a low throw to Kevin Williams on third down, and Williams made a diving catch. The nearest official ruled that Williams trapped the ball, a call that was clearly disputed by instant replay.

The Eagles resumed their ball control attack, and steadily moved the ball. Watters gained ten after three carries. After a fourth Watters carry, Peete beat a Dallas blitz with a quick toss to Art Monk, who put the Eagles a yard short of a first down. Peete snuck for the final yard, and the Eagles were at the Dallas 42. Watters ran a draw on first down, and finally broke a big run, cutting outside to the Dallas 28. Tony Tolbert limped off the field, and the weary Dallas line got a bit thinner. The Eagles gave the ball to Watters on the following play, and Watters was dropped by Darren Benson. Watters ran a sweep left, and was smacked down by Woodson. Peete was pressured by Shante Carver, but managed to throw short to Watters. Watters danced in the middle of the field, and was stopped short of a first down by Woodson.

Gary Anderson took the field for a short kick. His attempt looked like it might hook left, but it curled back inside the left upright, knotting the game at seventeen all.

2:59 remained and Dallas was feeling the game slip away. Anderson finally made a deep kick and Williams knelt in the end zone for a touchback. Starting at the 20, Dallas again did nothing. Aikman threw to Irvin on a crossing route, and the ball was batted away by Bobby Taylor. Aikman tossed to Novacek on the left sideline, but Novacek bobbled the ball out of bounds. Aikman threw to Cory Fleming, who was dropped on the 29. The clock was slipping to the two minute warning, and Barry Switzer left his offense on the field. Dallas overloaded the formation left and gave the ball to Smith. Tuinei and Newton got good blocks on their men, but Ron Stone was pushed back into the backfield, and Daryl Johnston was stopped in the hole. Stone was pushed back into Smith, who leapt and came down a yard short of the goal.

Dallas received an enormous gift from a consistently inconsistent officials crew, which ruled that the two minute warning had sounded before the ball was snapped. Dallas had the opporunity to punt the ball, but Switzer kept the offense on the field. The Cowboys lined up in the same formation and ran the same play. Sadly, the result was the same. Again, Newton and Tuinei got good pushes. But again, Johnston was stuffed in the hole. Bill Romanowski pushed him back into Smith, and the play went for no gain.

Starting at the Dallas 29, the Eagles ran three dives into the center of the line. It was clear that they wanted to give Anderson a good spot in the center of the field. Anderson knocked his first attempt down the center of the goal. The play was blown dead, as the officials were not set. It did not matter. Anderson nailed the second attempt, and the Eagles had the lead.

The Cowboys had burned their three timeouts, but they had 1:24 to go. In a fitting end to the day, the offense sputtered and wheezed one last time.